Labour plans to tackle inequality 'positive' but investment in schools and public services will be vital says NAHT

Responding to Keir Starmer's pledge that a Labour government would smash the 'class ceiling' and reform education, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said:

“A child’s background should never determine their opportunities in life, but inequalities have been exacerbated over the last decade by funding cuts to schools and other public services, the pandemic, and now the cost of living crisis. It is therefore positive to see that Labour will put tackling inequality at the heart of their education policy.

"There is no doubt that schools can play a vital role in helping children to thrive no matter what their background, but they need the appropriate resources to do so. Fixing the current recruitment and retention crisis has to be an urgent priority and it is essential that the next government makes teaching and school leadership an attractive proposition once again and gets to grips with the factors driving so many out of the profession.

“However, inequalities are deeply entrenched in society, and if these ambitions are to be fulfilled, significant additional investment will be needed not only in education, which has been neglected for too long, but also in community support for families including everything from mental health services to social care. It is right to have high ambitions, but schools must have the resources they need if they are to play their part in delivering on them.”